WUNRN
Please find here
a statement issued by WLUML - Women Living Under Muslim Laws and our
Afghan partners in response to the opening of the first Taliban office in
Qatar, and the ongoing “peace” negotiations with international leaders.
Statement of Women Living Under Muslim Laws & Afghanistan Partners
US-Taliban
Talks: Accountability to Human Rights and Justice is Central to Enduring
Peace
The following is the official statement of the Women Living
Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) international solidarity network and its partners in
Afghanistan, which is addressed to all parties, particularly Afghanistan’s
donor countries, who are supporting the direct talks between the Taliban and
United States government.
We, the Women Living under Muslim Laws international
solidarity network, are dismayed by the announcement that the US government is
to start direct talks with the Afghan Taliban. The first round of talks is
scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban set up a political
office in January. We demand that a very clear and explicit
commitment be made to guarantee the rights of all, especially the rights of
women and children by all parties involved in the talks. Justice and the human rights of all
Afghan people, as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution, must be at the centre
of any talks or negotiations with the Taliban or any other armed group.
We
refuse to be taken in by the promise of ‘peace’ in Afghanistan, which is
peddled as the justification for these talks. The only way to bring an end to
the ongoing conflict is to engage in a people-centered, all-inclusive peace
process committed to gender justice and equality. The peace process must be
driven by community-based conflict resolution strategies and informed by the
people whose lives have been marred by the conflict in Afghanistan.
We find efforts to
portray the Taliban as significantly reformed since 2001, made by some members
of the international community, to be deplorable. The Taliban continue to
hinder the realisation of even the most basic women’s human rights in
Afghanistan and beyond. Their horrific abuses of human rights, both during
their rule of Afghanistan (1996-2011) and as insurgents post-2011, are
well–documented. Their violation of the rights of women and girls remain
endemic in areas still under their control; and, at their hands, women and
girls continue to suffer from the most brutal forms of discrimination and
violence.
Women are deprived
of their rights to education, work, freedom of
movement, political participation and representation. From 21 March to
21 October 2012, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission documented more than 4,000 cases of violence against women – a rise
of 28% compared to the same period in 2011. However, the actual number of incidents
was likely far higher, as women who report such violence still risk reprisal
and being stigmatized by their communities.
Despite the 2010
Taliban Code of Conduct (Layeha), which orders fighters to avoid
targeting civilians, the Taliban (and other armed groups) continue to breach
the laws of war by indiscriminately killing and maiming civilians in suicide
and roadside bombing attacks. According to United Nations statistics, civilian casualties increased by 24% in
the first 5 months of 2013, with 3,092 civilians killed or wounded. Insurgent
groups’ improvised explosive devices were responsible for 74% of casualties
during the reporting period.
Entering
into negotiations – with the Taliban or any other armed group – must not excuse
gross violations of human rights and war crimes.
WLUML
and its partners in Afghanistan:
1. Call
for the repeal of the 2007 National Stability and Reconciliation Bill, passed
by the Afghan parliament, which grants immunity from prosecution to anyone who committed
serious human rights abuses over the past 30 years so long as they agree to
cooperate with the Afghan government;
2. Demand the meaningful and mandatory
participation of women in Afghanistan’s peace, reconciliation and
reconstruction processes; and
3. Demand that women’s priority concerns be fully reflected
by all UN member states, which is in accordance with the UN Security Council
resolutions on women, peace and security.
Currently,
there
are only 9 women on the 70-member High Peace
Council, the Afghan government body charged with leading peace and
reconciliation talks with the Taliban and other armed groups. According to
reports, these women are being sidelined from the key peace negotiations
undertaken by the Council.
In compliance with
UN Security Council Resolution 1325, we call on all UN member states to:
1. Ensure
women’s meaningful participation in conflict resolution and peace process at the decision-making level;
2. Appoint
more women as Special Representatives and
envoys;
3. Expand
women’s role in peacekeeping operations, particularly among military observers,
police, human rights and humanitarian personnel.
All
parties involved in negotiating and implementing peace agreements must take
into account the special needs of women and girls in armed conflict, support
women's peace initiatives and implement international humanitarian and human rights laws that respect the
rights of women and girls.
Finally, we would like to express our grave concern over the potential use of the Taliban’s Qatar office as a channel of support and funneling funds to Islamist and extremist movements bent on pursuing “Jihad” in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We call on the international community, through the UN Security Council, to closely monitor the ongoings of this office.
Women Living Under Muslim Laws
International Coordination Office
Unit 23, 25-27 Bickerton Road, London N19 5JT,
United Kingdom
Tel:+44 (0)207 263 0285 - Fax:+44 (0)207 561 9882
Website/Facebook/Twitter/JoinTheCampaign!